A year removed from a budget season that saw Valley Central taxpayers reject the district’s first proposed budget, residents were far more receptive to the 2019-2020 proposed spending plan, as it passed with a 1,296 to 665 margin in Tuesday’s balloting. Voters gave the green light on May 21 to the $106,822,000 budget, which includes a 1.05 percent tax levy increase, which is within the state tax cap limit. The budget passed with the support of 66 percent of district voters.

   In a separate ballot proposition, voters also approved the establishment of a Capital Reserve Fund for the district by a vote of 1,320 to 608. Valley Central can save $10 million in the fund over a 10-year period, and each expenditure for the funding of a capital project will have to be approved by voters in the future.

   In the district’s hotly contested Board of Education races, Acting Board of Education President Sarah Messing (1191 votes), Arthur Fitzgerald (1097 votes) and Diana Revoir (936 votes)  claimed the three seats that were on the line in Tuesday’s election. Messing, Fitzgerald and Revoir all won three-year terms on the council, and because Messing received the most votes, she will also fill the unexpired term from May 22 through June 30 that was created when former Trustee Joseph Byrne resigned earlier this year. Challengers Katie McKnight, Patrick Murphy and Deborah Hansen all fell short in their attempts to secure board seats.